WASHINGTON — Here’s a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.
In addition to roll call votes this week, the Senate also passed the National Bison Legacy Act, to adopt the bison as the national mammal of the U.S.; passed the Afghanistan Accountability Act, to support enhanced accountability for U.S. assistance to Afghanistan; and passed the Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act, to enhance and integrate Native American tourism and empower Native American communities.
The House also passed the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act, to authorize the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative; passed the Securing Aviation from Foreign Entry Points and Guarding Airports Through Enhanced Security Act, to require airport security assessments and a security coordination enhancement plan; passed the Foreign Spill Protection Act, to impose penalties and provide for the recovery of removal costs and damages in connection with certain discharges of oil from foreign offshore production units; and passed the PREPARE Act, to reform and improve the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Office of Emergency Communications, and Office of Health Affairs of the Department of Homeland Security.
House votes
House vote 1
ANTI-TERRORISM MESSAGING: The House has passed the Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act, sponsored by Rep. Chuck J. Fleischmann, R-Tennessee. The bill would require the Homeland Security Department to use the testimonials of former members of terrorist groups in the agency’s efforts to counter the groups’ bid to recruit new members. Fleischmann said the measure sought to counter the recruiting efforts of groups like Islamic State “with the testimony of those who have seen the evil of these groups firsthand” and amplify that anti-terrorism message. A bill opponent, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, D-Mississippi, said it did not pay enough attention to domestic terrorist groups and was unnecessary because Homeland Security already had ample authority to use the testimonials of former terrorists.
The vote was 322 yeas to 79 nays. Both Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-2nd District, were among the yeas.
House vote 2
TARIFFS ON MANUFACTURING INPUTS: The House has passed the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas. The bill would require the U.S. International Trade Commission to study the possible elimination of tariffs on products imported by American manufacturers as inputs for their own manufactured products. Brady said the tariffs were costing manufacturers $748 million yearly, without benefiting any U.S. companies, because the imported products subject to tariffs are not being made domestically.
The vote was 415 yeas to 2 nays. Both Pingree and Poliquin were among the yeas.
House vote 3
SEARCHING EMAIL RECORDS: The House has passed the Email Privacy Act, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kansas. The bill would require the government to obtain a search warrant in order to require providers of electronic messaging services to hand over to the government email or other messages that are more than 180 days old. Yoder said the bill, by reforming a law that currently allows the government to seize messages that are more than six months old, would restore Fourth Amendment rights to Americans who deserve “an expectation of privacy in their email accounts.” The vote was unanimous with 419 yeas.
House vote 4
INVESTING IN SMALL BUSINESSES: The House has passed the Helping Angels Lead Our Startups Act, sponsored by Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio. The bill would require the Securities and Exchange Commission to waive a prohibition against soliciting investors for small businesses making presentations at “demo days,” which bring together small businesses and potential investors and customers at public events. Chabot said the bill sought to encourage economic growth by lifting the ban to make it easier for entrepreneurs to solicit new funding from investors that the entrepreneurs need to build their businesses. An opponent, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, said erasing the ban and allowing businesses to seek investments from the general public would expose unsophisticated investors to the danger of being led to invest in companies that could fail.
The vote was 325 yeas to 89 nays. Both Pingree and Poliquin were among the yeas.
House vote 5
PROTECTING TRADE SECRETS: The House has passed the Defend Trade Secrets Act, sponsored by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah. The bill would authorize the filing of lawsuits in U.S. courts by companies that own trade secrets and are seeking damages for theft or misuse of their trade secrets by a domestic or foreign company. A supporter, Rep. Doug Collins, R-Georgia, said that establishing legal remedies for trade secrets theft was instrumental to protecting businesses’ commercially valuable information that is not currently protected by intellectual property law.
The vote was 410 yeas to 2 nays. Both Pingree and Poliquin were among the yeas.
House vote 6
REPORTS ON EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS: The House has passed a bill, sponsored by Rep. J. French Hill, R-Arkansas, to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to change a regulation in order to allow investment funds to distribute research reports about exchange-traded funds to clients without having the reports classified as offers to sell the funds. Hill said the change, by clearing the way for research on the exchange-traded funds to be provided to investors, would improve access to useful information that helps investors decide how to invest their money.
The vote was 411 yeas to 6 nays. Both Pingree and Poliquin were among the yeas.
House vote 7
PROVIDING RETIREMENT ADVICE: The House has passed a resolution, sponsored by Rep. David P. Roe, R-Tennessee, disapproving of a proposed Labor Department rule defining the term “fiduciary” as it applies to financial advisers managing the retirement funds of their clients. Roe criticized the rule as too complex and misguided, and for creating restrictions on the access working families and small businesses have to advice on the best ways to save for retirement and create employee retirement plans. A bill opponent, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, said the fiduciary rule will work to keep advisers from costing those saving for retirement up to $17 billion yearly by steering them into financial products that give the advisers large commissions but hurt investors. The vote was 234 yeas to 183 nays. Pingree gave a nay vote, and Poliquin gave a yea vote.
House vote 8
PRIVATE FLOOD INSURANCE PLANS: The House has passed the Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act, sponsored by Rep. Dennis A. Ross, R-Florida. The bill would extend the federal government’s flood insurance program to U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam, and allow property owners to use private flood insurance plans to meet federal coverage requirements. Ross said opening the way for private insurers to compete with government flood insurance plans “will lead to greater innovation and more affordable and comprehensive policies for consumers” who live in flood-prone areas. The vote was unanimous with 419 yeas.
Senate votes
Senate vote 1
WIND ENERGY RESEARCH: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The amendment would provide $95.4 million for Energy Department wind energy research programs in fiscal 2017, compared to the $80 million provided in the underlying bill. A supporter, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said improvements in wind energy garnered from the $15 million increase in research funding would promote a source of clean energy that benefits rural areas in particular. An amendment opponent, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, called wind an unreliable, hard to use source of electricity that was already amply subsidized by the federal government. The vote was 54 yeas to 42 nays. Both Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, were among the yeas.
Senate vote 2
COLORADO RIVER WATER CONSERVATION: The Senate has passed an amendment sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The amendment would increase funding for the Colorado River System Conservation Pilot Program by $50 million. Heller said the added funding would further encourage water users in the Colorado River basin to reduce their consumption, improving the health of the Colorado and keeping more water in its vital reservoirs. The vote was 73 yeas to 23 nays. Both Collins and King were among the yeas.
Senate vote 3
FUNDING ENERGY, WATER AGENCIES: The Senate has rejected a cloture motion to end debate on a substitute amendment sponsored by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tennessee, to the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The bill would provide $37.5 billion of fiscal 2017 funding for the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers, among other federal energy and water agencies. Alexander said it incorporated proposals from most of the Senate and sought to restrain government spending by curbing waste. An opponent of ending debate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, cited a potential amendment to the bill that would block the federal government from making a planned purchase from Iran of heavy water, which can be used either to make plutonium or in the process of making scientific instruments. The vote, on April 27, was 50 yeas to 46 nays, with a three-fifths majority required to end debate.
Collins gave a yea vote, and King gave a nay vote.